Resist
by Illisandria Carthain
Summary: The Great Seas are owned completely by the Irken Empire. All the people have given up; except for a small bandd of pirates. They are the Resisty and they will resist. Set in the Golden Age of Space-Pirates. Kind of AU. No slash. Rating may go up later.
1. Chapter 1

(A/N: This is my "inspired by the Golden Age of Piracy" IZ fic. Ritght now it's only going to be 'T' but later the rating may change to 'M' for some adult things…(no erotica/vivid sex. Just implied rape and birthing scenes). I hope you enjoy it.

"This" is Galactic Common or translated by PAK speech  
"**This**" is Irken.  
"This" is English.  
"_This_" is Irken/Common words that I left there to be cool.

* * *

_-Round(1) 137 Cycle(2) 32 during the reign of the great and mighty Irken Empire under the rule of Tallests Larak Red and Tevesh Purple-_

Tallest Red swore softly under his breath and looked back at the holographic map of the Great Seas(3). The map was divided into five sections: Harken(4), Rectak(5), Sver(6), Leien(7), and Xxas(8); they being full of planets - most marked with a small symbol representing an Irken-owned planet. His brow was furrowed in concentration and he growled as he zoomed in on a few ships that were patrolling the upper quadrant of Sver, close to Earth. A report had come in stating that one of the three cargo-ships sent out a distress signal before disappearing off the map and this was bugging the crimson-eyed Tallest.

"What could be going on?..." he muttered to himself.

"Well, you're staring at a holo-map. That's something that's going on." Out of nowhere Purple, the more scientific of the two rulers, commented. He had a donut in one hand and a soda in the other.

Red started and swore fervently in Irken. "Tevesh!" he used his co-ruler's given name(9), "I wish you were less stealthy and more noisy."

"What?" Purple looked amazed and pointed down to his hover-belt, "It's kinda' hard to be loud when you float through the hallways of the Massive, ten or so inches off the ground!...What'cha doin' anyways Red? Some of your 'military strategy' stuff?" He stuffed the rest of the donut in his mouth and leaned over Red's shoulder, smacking.

Ignoring (or trying his hardest to) the smacking noises, Red crouched over the map, deep in thought. "I'm trying to figure out if this it the work of the Resisty..."

"The Resisty? Pah!" Purple scoffed, "There's no way that washed-up, so-called 'resistance' has the backbone to steal from the Empire. They only have the guts to plunder smaller independent ships."

"Don't be so sure..." Red mused. Just then an alarm went off and another of the ships blipped out of existence on the map.

**[[WARNING! DISTRESS SIGNAL RECEIVED FROM CARGO-SHIP #3485124 IN THE EARTH SECTOR OF SVER!]]**

Red swore again and Purple giggled, "Ooh...you said a naughty word Red!"

Turning on his co-ruler, Red snarled, "Shut UP, Tevesh! This is a serious matter! All I need to know is what's going on in there..."

"What IS going on there?" Purple mused aloud.  
(page break)  
The cargo-ship, the _Deepen_, was coasting through the star seas of Sver-Vellen(10) just grazing Luna's gravitational field when the captain shot an unruly Janitorial-Drone out of an airlock. Just as the airlock doors closed, a cloaked figure slipped through and into the _Deepen_. No one noticed the intruder.

The intruder slipped past all the Labor-Drones hurrying along the hallways and entered the storage bay. The bay was wall-to-wall lined with food; snacks of all shapes, sizes, and origins were all boxed up and ready to he shipped to the _Massive_(which was somewhere near Sirius at the moment) for the Tallest to snack upon. The intruder grumbled nasty things about the Irken leaders and shuffled through the storage bay, looking for something. There was an inconsistency in the number of guards on this ship that didn't match with the other two cargo-ships and his mission was to find out if it was because of what his leader thought it was.

He searched the bay from fore to aft until he finally found something interesting; there was a small plot of ground that was within the boundaries of the snack-holding space but had no snacks on it. The intruder crouched down and ran his gloved fingers across the ground, finding a small groove in the floor and digging a screwdriver into it, jimmying the hatch open.

Below him was a staircase and beyond the staircase was a room filled wall-to-wall with weapons of all shapes and sizes, from WMDs to standard-issue rifles to even deactivated SIR units. "Jackpot..."

He exited the weapons compartment and replaced the hatch. Then he left the storage bay and headed back to the airlock where he entered the ship. He found an access port for the Irken PAKs and plugged in, hacking the security system. Thankfully the Irken Empire was too conceited and sure of themselves that they never installed security systems past the guards that patrolled rather infrequently. This made his job easier.

Once he had entered the ship's main controls, he overrode the system that notified the captain every time someone opened the airlocks. Then he created a skeleton key for the doors on the _Deeper _and unplugged.

Outside the _Deepe_r a small ship sat, full of aliens of all shapes and sizes, all waiting for the airlocks to open. When they did, the captain of that particular ship allowed only eleven of the crew to suit up and enter the enemy ship. Then she turned to the remaining members and nodded, it was time to buy time for their fellow crew-mates INSIDE the ship.

Captain Dookie blinked poo-brown eyes in surprise and sat up erect when his helmsman told him that there was a smaller vessel circling around them. Then he allowed himself a smile when his Communications-Drone notified him that they were being hailed.

"Put them on-screen," he commanded. The screen flashed and the ship's screen showed an Irken female, wearing a Warrior's outfit, who had vibrant green eyes and oddly-shaped antennae flocked by a herd of SIR units. "Why do you hail a ship of the Irken Empire _Reshka_(11)?"

"_Vaatan_(12) Captain." her speech was rough and accented with harsh Common phrases that displeased Dookie's sense of nationalism; Irkens should NOT know Common except to converse with the _skaatel_(13). "I was visitin' Earth, lookin' fer some property ta buy up ta relax on, when one of my SIR units malfunctioned." As if to prove her point, one of the SIRs, a Mark-One model with white eyes, screamed and its head fell off.

"I see...," Dookie was not amused; this Irken had stopped him from delivering precious cargo just so she could ask how to fix a SIR? He had weapons to get to the Tallest so they could disperse them to their troops all over the galaxy. Then they could finally stamp out all of those pesky Meekrob and nothing would stand in their way of total domination! But...Dookie did have his civic duties to attend to and often times, the Warriors were the ones that held the most power in the decision-making process since a lot of them were promoted to Irken Elite when they won. He leaned slightly out of his chair and asked his SIR unit, a prototype model called PHLI, to fetch the head scientist. PHLI flew off after saluting with two of his four arms, buzzing as he went. Then Captain Dookie nodded in the Warrior's direction, "We will help you in a moment. I have sent my SIR to fetch the ship's head scientist. It should be back with him in a few minutes. You think you can live until then?"

The Warrior quirked one antenna and then nodded after shooting a quick look at the defective SIR. "I think I'll live sir."

Time passed and soon Dookie got impatient while the Irken Warrior just twiddled her thumbs. Just as he was about to yell over the intercom for his head scientist to get his lazy meat-sack up to the control room the door opened. Dookie turned to snarl at PHLI but stopped, staring at an energy-sword's point that was levelled at his head. A cloaked alien grinned as he swore.

"**Oh...I'm sorry but we'll be commandeering this ship now**," the one pointing a sword at him said in choppy Commonplace Irken(14). Beneath the cloak Dookie could see a wide grin filled with white teeth. "**Hope you don't mind...**"

"I do mind you filthy _skaatel_! And my ship's guards, who are loyal followers of the Tallests will fight you and win! We are superior to you filthy beasts!" Dookie spat the words out as if they burned him just thinking about them.

The cloaked one laughed, a deep, disturbing "_Ku-ku-ku-ku..._" and then dug the tip of the humming energy-sword into Dookie's forehead, "**Look at your 'loyal guards' now, Irken slag**." He turned Dookie to face his crew and laughed again, the same "_Ku-ku-ku-ku..._" as before.

All around him were _skaatel_, all holding energy-swords or standard-issue plasma-pistols to every head of his crew; some of the _skaatel_ even had two of his crew pinned down. All of them sneered at the captain of the _Deeper_.

"**Do you see now? We have out-manned you. You have no more men, your guards outside are unconscious at best, and you have no way to call for help**."

Dookie's glance landed on the still-active Comm-screen and he muttered, "That's what you think _skaatel_..." Then he turned to the screen and shouted, "Help _Reshka_! There are _skaatel _on my ship and they have beaten all of my men! Assistance! Assistance!"

The Warrior began to laugh, finally replying through mirthful tears, "Sorry _heresh_(15), I'm on their side."

Dookie almost had an aneurysm right there. "On their side?" he shrieked, "THEIR side? What kind of filthy, low-down, _Mekrelmar_(16) kind of Irken are you?"

She smiled, "Ah, but yeh see, yeh made a mistake. Yeh assumed I was Irken." Her form shimmered and was replaced by that of a SIR unit with green eyes and cat-ears. "That, _heresh_, was yer undoin'."

Dookie screamed, a wordless sound of rage, and the cloaked pirate laughed again. "**Anything you would like before you die Captain?**"

He glared around at his now-dead men and frowned. "Your head on a platter."

The sword dug deeper into Dookie's head, "**Anything else**?"

"...," Dookie pondered for a moment and came up with an answer, "Your face and your name, **skaatel**pirate."

The cloaked pirate laughed and then pulled back his hood, "**Very well...my name is ****Dib Moore**." Then he slit the captain's throat and removed his PAK, stabbing it as well. The crew of pirates cheered as the light left his eyes and Dib held up a hand for quiet, "Well people," he said in Common, "It seems as though the good captain of this ship has bequeathed us his vessel and all within it!" There was a louder cry at that, almost a shriek of approval. "But!" The crew quieted down, "Let us not forget the reason why we are here. The weapons! We finally have more artillery to supply our ever-growing troops and soon the Irken Empire will fall! We will rise above the scattered Irken slag to bring justice to the Great Seas! And we will not rely on the help of the passive Meekrob nor will we ask for assistance from the D'thir. We will do these works by our own hands and we will be proud! For we are the Resisty!"

"And we will resist!"

* * *

Translation Notes:  
(1) Round: Universal year. Around two months longer than an Earth year  
(2) Cycle: Universal day. There are five hundred of them in one Round and they are a three hours shorter than an Earth day.  
(3) Great Seas: the star systems that make up the known universe  
(4) Harken: One of the five Great Seas. Harken is home to the Vortian race.  
(5) Rectak: One of the five Great Seas. Rectak is home to the Meekrob race.  
(6) Sver: One of the five Great Seas. Sver is home to the Human race.  
(7) Leien: One of the five Great Seas. Leien is home to Preth, the Resisty base.  
(8) Xxas: One of the five Great Seas. Xxas is home to Irk, the Irken base.  
(9) given name: Irkens have two names, their given name (first) and their Clan name (last name). Using and Irken's given name is a sign of either disregard for courtesy or closeness.  
(10) Sver-Vellen: the Milky Way galaxy part of Sver. All of Sver-Vellen belongs to the Irken Empire and most of it is colonised by the humans.  
(11) Reshka: polite Irken title for a formidable Irken who has attained the status of Warrior by surviving the Blood Sports.  
(12) Vataan: Galactic Common equivalent of "I am sincerely sorry to bother you".  
(13) skaatel: Irken. Loosely translated it means "lower life-form" but it has vulgar undertones. Often used as an insult for both non-Irkens and Irkens who are labeled traitors to the Empire or consort with skaatel.  
(14) Commonplace Irken: a type of Irken spoken by those that are of lower standing. Almost a hick accent.  
(15) heresh: Galactic Common. Loosely translated it means something along the lines of "mate". It's a word you use to convey friendship.  
(16) Mekrelmar: Irken for "traitor of the highest class". To be a Mekrelmar means that you are worse than a skaatel, you are nothing. Your life is at stake when you are a Mekrelmar. The Empire will not help you, no other Irken will help you, you are as good as dead.


	2. Chapter 2

(A/N: This is the second chapter and must I say, I am proud of this one. if this is labeled as the sin Pride, let me rot in hell. I like this one. And it's over four thousand words (well, with the translation notes). This one introduces Gaz and a new character (Chendrekken) whom I will be showing a picture of on Deviantart. Come see me. Look invadernere up there. Oh! And a quick note: The rating will go up to M because of some mature content in this chapter. You'll see why but maybe I'm being paranoid.)

"This" is Common/PAK translated  
"This" is English  
"**This**" is Irken  
"_This_" is words I left in their original language to make it fun

Gaz opened her eyes and growled as the blasé décor of the ship she was in assaulted her eyes. She attempted to roll over but smacked her elbow on the top of her small bunk; which elicited a loud shriek composed of screamed English and Common curses. This caused a chain reaction of "shh"s to echo around the compartment as well as more groans from the other residents. The person above had shifted carefully and hung her head over the edge, purple hair hanging around her face which framed her brace-filled, scared smile.

"Quiet Gaz! The Irkens are coming!" Then Gretchen slipped back up on her bunk and pretended to be asleep.

"WAKE UP YEH FILTHY _SKAATEL_!" the Irken Slave-Master, Lardnar, howled in PAK-translated Commonplace Irken that, to the humans, sounded very mush like a Cockney British accent. "Th' Captain says it's time ta brand yeh an'get yeh ready fer th' _Chiooshin_(1)!" Unsettled murmurs answered Larknar's revelation and soon the entire bay was filled with unhappy questions, all in English.

"What does he mean?"  
"_Chiooshin_? What's that?"  
"_Skaatel_?"  
"We need a translator here!"  
"This is just a dream... just a dream..."  
"Is this a dream?"

"QUIET!" the bay fell silent and Lardnar looked around angrily, his violet-red eyes narrowing in an angry glare. "Th' Captain says fer yeh ta get out of yer bunks an' get yer lazy rump in gear! NOW or there'll be th' Torture Racks fer yeh!" Almost immediately the humans jumped to attention, filing into a line in front of the smug Irken.

In the very front was Aki, then Sarah, Torque, Moria, and Gaz. Behind her was Keef and Gretchen followed by the rest of the humans that had been rounded up on this retched ship, the _Raunski_(2). Aki stepped forward and Lardnar flicked three of his four PAK legs in her direction, tearing off her clothes in one swift ripping motion.

Naked, Aki blushed, "I-is this really necessary? I could have taken them off if you wanted, but not in front of -"

"SILENCE FILTHY _SKAATEL_! HOW DARE YEH SPEAK TA A IRKEN LIKE MYSELF? YEH DUN'T EVEN HAVE TH' RIGHT TA BREATHE, LET ALONE TELL ME WHAT YEH WILL AN' WON'T DO!" Aki hunched over in fear and Lardnar laughed, "Tha's better..." He gestured to one of the two burly Hired Guards(3), who grabbed Aki with gloved claws and geld her still. Lardnar pulled a large metal object out of his PAK and a thin, screwdriver-like tool. He smiled, showing lots of serrated teeth, and pointed at Aki, "D'yeh know what these are _skaate_l?" she shook her head and he grinned wider. "Yeh see, Rounds and Rounds ago, in the time of the great Almighty Tallest Spork(4), it was decided that all of th' conquered planets' _skaatel_ inhabitants were either ta be killed in th' bio-sweep or enslaved. Yeh Earthenoids are a lucky race; yeh get ta see th' light of Choo's(5) five suns before yeh bite th' dust!"

Gaz glared at the hated Irken through her purple fringe.** "And what does this have to do with the tools in your hands?"** she demanded in smooth Irken, "**When will you tell us? Or are we going to have to listen to your pathetic attempts at boosting the Empire's popularity with the unwashed masses of so-called, and I quote, 'filthy _skaatel_'."** Gaz quirked her fingers in a set of air-quotes and grinned crookedly at the suddenly speechless slave-driver.

Lardnar regained his composure and hissed at Gaz, teeth bared again, "Shut yer trap," he then uttered a four-letter work in Irken; when it reached Gaz's ears she howled and broke rank. She lunged at Lardnar and spat in his eye, laughing as he shrieked in pain.

"Filthy _eresh_(6)!" His howl echoed through the bay as the Hired Guards grabbed ahold of Gaz and restrained her. When Lardnar finally regained his composure he glared at her, squinting through his burnt eye.

"Yeh will go first so that ah may enjoy yer pain, _eresh_. An' when Ah'm done with yeh, Ah'll do i'ta yer friends an' make them pay too...every last one of yeh _skaatel_ will pay fer what this filthy _skaatel eresh_ did; d'yeh hear?" He was shouting at the mob of scared humans who cowered at his words. then, smiling a creepy smile, Lardnar peeled Gaz's clothes off her body with his own claws. He purred a low A-flat of pleasure and his antennae quivered with the vibrations emitting from his chest. it was a primal noise and Gaz knew it; it scared her terribly.

"Yeh are a pretty one, aren't yeh _eresh_..." he mused to himself; eyes soaking up sights of every inch of her skin. "Ah think ah will accommodate yeh in mah chambers later this Cycle... an' yeh can show meh what all this fuss about 'pre-marital sex' is..." he actually overrode his PAK to utter the English phrase (although his English was choppy and it sounded more like "friish-marchisaan-sheeez" than pre-marital sex). Every muscle in Gaz's body recoiled as his snake-like tongue flicked out and licked his lips in anticipation. she tried to jerk away but the Hired Guards had a good grip on her. One of Lardnar's claws reached forward and stroked her in personal places, eliciting a whimper from the terrified teenager. Just as his claws were about to invade her space again, there was a sharp command in Irken.

"**Lardnar! Cease your actions or you will be ejected out of the airlock with a block on your PAK to keep you from accessing your atmospheric regulator! Is this understood _Terean_**(7)?" It was the captain of the _Raunski_, former Invader Kim.

Lardnar shrunk away from the Tall Irken - as he was only ranked Medium - and let out a series of submissive clicks. "Mah apologies Captain. Th'_ skaatel eresh_ provoked meh an' ah only wanted ta punish it by-"

"**I do not care why you were doing what you were doing, I just commanded to stop it**." Kim stoically stared at the Hired Guards and Gaz, who felt her will blaze up under the scrutinizing gaze of the captain of this slave ship. He nodded to the Hired Guards and they released the naked girl. **"You, human**." He had actually pronounced it properly and this took Gaz aback. She defiantly glared up at him and he continued, "**If you continue to cause trouble I will not restrain him next time. I will leave you the mercy of my crew and you must understand that not all of them are as nice as Lardnar. This is your only warning; comply with my wishes and the wishes of my crew and you will live through most of your pathetically short life. Resist and you will die within the next _halkeen_(8). Am I understood?"** No response from the surly human elicited a sigh from Kim who stood erect and nodded to Lardnar, "**Brand her as a Difficult**." Then he left.

The Hired Guards picked her up again underneath the armpits and held her relatively still for Lardnar. He was grinning as he held the glowing of the screwdriver-like tool to the tip of the metal object. It heated up to white-hot and began to steam. Lardnar began to talk.

"Yeh wanted ta know wha' this tool was? Well it's a very primitive way ta brand yeh _skaatel_. This metal here, it's engraved with th' Irken insignia of a _wei'kap_(9) an' it's heated up ta unbearable temperatures with th' torch. Then th' metal is pushed inta yer skin an' burns the insignia into yer body, branding yeh forever as a _wei'kap_ of th' Irken empire. Yeh'll never escape th' mark. It'll stay with yeh 'till yeh kick th' can." Another grin crossed his face accompanied by a dark chuckle. He then looked out at the line of worried humans and called out, "Ah want yeh ta watch this _skaatel_! Ah want yeh to unnerstand what yeh are bound fer. Slavery! Work! Death! This is all that awaits yeh! When this ship is done with its journey ta Choo yeh will be sold an' ah will never see yeh again! (Thank Irk(10) fer that...) Until then ah want yeh ta see th' suffering of yer kind! Ah want all of yeh to experience th' pain yeh will go through. Ah want yeh all to watch this! Anyone caught looking away will be punished in the Torture Rack, unnerstand?" There were murmured affirmatives across the bay; no translation was needed for that command, everyone knew what would happen in the Torture Rack.

With careful precision Lardnar manoeuvred the metal brand towards Gaz's bare flesh. Her screams mixed with the sizzle of burning skin and muscle, filled the humans' hearts with fear.

This is what lies ahead for us...

* * *

Dib sat down on the bench of the viewing bay for the _Cixxzas_(11) and put his head in his hands, sighing deeply. all that time wasted on a weapons run? What about his sister? What about Gaz?...

_Loud screams. Explosions. a name: "Gaz!"_

_He was staring at the Irken Armada as it ascended down upon Earth and the surrounding colonies of Venus and Mars. He could feel himself screaming her name over and over again but strong alien arms held him back from running to an escape pod and launching himself to the surface of his home planet to rescue his sister._

_"No!" The alien says, "Not now. Flying to her rescue would only endanger yourself. If you let her go then we can find her later, we can save her and everyone from Earth."_

_"But she's down there! She's going to die! I promised Dad I wouldn't let her die... I promised Mom... I promised..." He collapsed into a sobbing heap of trench-coat and black hair. He promised! He promised them..._

"Yew okay?" A coarse voice asked in Vortian-tinted Common, jolting him from his memories. "Yew 'ad tha' look abou' yew. Tha' thousand-metre-stare."

Dib shook his head and looked back at the Vortian speaking to him. "Nah, Chen. I'll be fine soon enough."

Chen shook his head and laughed, his silver eyes crinkling in merriment. "Yew're a bad liar, yew are Dib." Sitting down on the bench as well, Chen grabbed Dib's five-fingered hand with his won four-fingered one. "Wha's up? Yew can tell ol' Chendrekkan now. I'm only bad luck."

Dib's brow creased and he looked at the Vortian with confusion, "You know, in the long time I've known you, you've never once told me what you mean by that..."

Chen's eyes got all downcast and the gloom was tangible. Dib immediately flew on the recall. "I mean-I-am-Oh God... I'm sorry..."

"Nah. 's'okay... I brough' i'up." Chen nodded and looked away for a minute, frowning. "I' means... well i's and Irken word an' a Vortian word. In Irken i' means "three" bu' in Vortian i' means "bad luck". I's 'cause on Vort, three is an unlucky number. I have three 'orns so I am bad luck." He gestured to his three horns, two of which were curved upward like a bull's horns, the third curved downwards like an emo fringe. Dib frowned and looked at the ground. Chen looked at the human with this odd look in his eyes. The air conditioning ruffled his grey fur and the silence stretched on for what seemed like forever. Then Dib slung his rucksack off his shoulder and opened it, shoving his arm up to the elbow in the bag. Chen blinked in confusion, "Wha're yew doin'?"

"Looking for something..." Dib grunted as he rustled around in the bag. When he found what he was looking for his face lit up and he withdrew his arm. "Here," he offered what he had retrieved to Chen; the Vortian took it and stared.

"Wha's i'?" In his hands he held a paperboy hat, at least twice as big as it needed to be to hit his head. "Wha' do I use i' for?"

"It's a hat." Dib enunciated the English word carefully then followed up with a description in Common. "You wear it on your head. This one will cover your horns! Therefore you don't have to be Chendrekkan. You can be just Chen." Dib beamed at the amazed Vortian and then frowned for a quick second. "What does Chen mean anyways?"

Laughing as he slipped the cap over his head - it did indeed cover his horns with the exception of the lower bit of his third horn - Chen remarked, "Nuthin'. I' literally means nuthin'."

The two aliens shared a good laugh and then stared out the starboard viewing port at the stars flying by. Chen broke the silence with a cough and a mumbled question. "D'yew ... yer ... ou' there?..."

"Hm?" Dib blinked in surprise.

"D'yew think yer sister is still ou' there? Waitn' fer yew?" An even longer silence and then Chen spoke again, "Wha's i'like?"

"What's what like?" Many of the Resisty members were eating at the time and Spoopty, the tall Plookesian, passed by with a plate of Vort-dogs, looking at them only once before walking on to his personal cabin.

"'avin' a sister. Any family, really." He seemed uncomfortable with the question but he continued, babbling a bit like a moron, "I man, 'cause I never 'ad one. I was given ta Lard Nar when I was jus' a kid. I jus' wanna know wha' i's like. Is i'like 'aving friends or like 'aving a pet or is i'like me an' th' Resisty?"

Dib pondered for a moment; he'd never had to explain family to someone who had none. After weighing the options Dib spoke. "It's more like you and Lard Nar. He looks out for you and you look out for him and you both love each other (but not in THAT way) and would do anything for each other. You see?"

Chen nodded and then smiled at the human. "I see. Like me an' Lard Nar. I see..." Then the two of them sat pondering Gaz's predicament until the SX*com—cross-ship intercom—came on with a crackle and a loud voice echoed through the ship in proper Common.

[[Attention Resisty! I would like for Chendrekkan lan Iriesh and Dib Moore to come to the control room. Also those of you with a tendency to freak out and all 'umans aboard should return to their respective cabins until the exchange with the ship 'ailing us is over. That is all.]] Then the SX*com turned off and Dib and Chen shared a look that spoke volumes.

"Oh boy. What now?"

Lard Nar glared through his goggles until Spleenk and Dwicky slowlyretreated to their cabins. Then he started as the doors to the control room 'whoosh'ed open again and the tall human and short Vortian he had summoned walked in.

"Ah. You-You're here!" Lard Nar stammered, "I-just as I expected!"

"Don't lie Lard Nar lan Rexcaak. You almost dropped dead in your brand-new Captain's clothes." Dib's voice was laden with sarcasm and his entire posture screamed 'DISRESPECT!'.

The two-headed Vaak at the helm, Briggant, turned one of his heads in Dib's direction and snarled, "You betterr trrreat ourrr captain with morrre rrrespect, human. You arrre just as expendable as the rrrest of us." His Common was accented with a bizarre rolling of his 'r's.

Lard Nar just laughed. "Calm down Briggant. 'E's just playing. 'E meant no disrespect. See, me and Dib run way back." Upon seeing the angry glares from his crew—those of which had been with him from the beginning—he revised his statement. "Not as long as you guys though."

"Thiiis iiis truuueee." Martek, the slug-like Xorin, commented, "aaand iiit iiis ooouuur choooiiiceee too beee sooo poooliiiteee. Theee caaaptaaaiiin iiis riiight Briiiggaaant; yooouuu haaaveee tooo baaack oooff theee huuumaaan." Briggant glared at Martek and then sighed, his second head turning back to face Dib.

"I am sincerely sorrry. I spoke out of turrrn and rrregrrret what I said. Will you forrrgive me this turrrn of phrrrase?"

"Yeah. Sure Briggant. I forgive you. And, no – you are not in my debt. On Earth it is customary to just forgive someone." Briggant looked relieved for a second and then focused on steering the ship. Dib focused on Lard Nar and beamed, "So, you old grass-eater. What's this transmission you were talking about?" Chen elbowed Dib in the ribs for the 'grass-eater' comment but Lard Nar ignored it.

"It's from an Irken ship. Not one of ours, mind you. They keep sending us a singal in Irken and 'ailing us. I'm not sure what the message means though, it's in a newer form of Irken and I can't understand but a little of it." Lard Nar brought up the signal and showed Dib and Chen—resident experts on Irken in all its forms. (This is not to say that Lad Nar was not fluent in Irken. All Vortians of his generation were taught Irken as a second language because of the peace-treaty that existed at the time. He just wasn't as good as Dib—who had devoted his life, from the age of eleven, to stropping the Irken menace—or Chen—who somehow known perfect Irken as soon as he could talk.)

Dib looked at the screen and the scrolling Irken phonograms and frowned. He turned to Chen and asked, "Am I reading this right?"

"This can't be righ'," Chen replied, "If i'is righ' then there's large coup going on a'th' momen'. This could be crucial for th'Resisty an'th' entirety of th'Grea' Seas!"

"What? What does it say?" Lard Nar grew impatient an began to shout.

"It says: 'I am in need of assistance. I, along with several others, have broken free of the Irken prison on Vort—know by the Irkens as "Prisonea"—and are now on the run and looking for help. Along with us is an Irken who was imprisoned for hi ideals. He helped us break free but was gravely injured in the escape. We need medical attention and food, for we have been floating in space for the past seven Cycles and have only dried _kommerin_(12) to sustain us. There are around half a dozen kids and a dozen full-grown Vortians (including myself) and the Irken that rescued us on this ship. Once we have been healed and restock our ship we will be on our way.  
- Tri lan Sette, Vortian Head of Science'" Dib looked at the shocked faces of Lard Nar and Chen and asked, "Who's Tri lan Sette?"

"'E was...is...will be the smartest Vortian in existence. 'E was the one who developed the _Massive_ and could possibly 'elp us destroy it. Also, 'e 'as extensive knowledge of Irken PAKs and SIR units. 'E could be the greatest asset we 'ave!"

"Well then accept the hailing!" Dib shouted and stunned the shocked Vortian into action again. He nodded to Shlootapooxis who opened a Comm-link. A purple-furred Vortian wearing a prison uniform stared back at Lard Nar, purple eyes lacklustre and hungry. Behind him were several other Vortian prisoners and they looked equally as worn down as the first.

He spoke in a formal tone, "Hail Lard Nar lan Rexcaak!"

Lard Nar nodded and relied, "'Ail Tri lan Sette. 'Ow fares the _kommerin_ on your side of the screen?(13)"

"It fares well. The winds of fate are blowing in our favour still and soon we may reap the rewards!" Tri smiled and his eyes lit up. "And you?"

"Better than you obviously. 'Ow'd you escape?"

"That is a tale for over a good meal of _mritz_(14) and wine."

Lard Nar ducked his head in a nod and murmured, "Of course..."

"And then there is our injured Irken friend to worry about." Tri lifted the Irken into the view of the screen and showed him to the control room. Dib gasped, he knew that Irken.

"Zim..."

* * *

Translation Notes:  
(1) Chiooshin: the slave market for skaatel to be sold to Medium, Tall, and Taller Irkens. Sometimes Small and Smaller Irkens manage to amass the monies needed to buy someone at the _Chiooshin_ but it is very unlikely.  
(2) Raunski: Irken for provider. Not quite father but if you wanted to use it as such you could.  
(3) Hired Guard: where and Irken Guard is one who protects a certain place where they are assigned,—much like the humans' National Guard or Army—a Hired Guard is an Irken that has gone through the Guard Training but has been reTrained for something else or has served their term (usually two to three hundred Rounds) and is now offering their services for hire. They are often very expensive  
(4) Almighty Tallest Spork: Tallest after Miyuki. A war-monger, Spork was the one who instilled the idea of going outside Xxas-Mershal to conquer planets. His reign is known as "The Age of Growth". Although his reign was short—cut short by his unfortunate death at his public crowning by the blobby mouth of the Infinite Energy Absorbing Thing+—he still managed to expand the Irken Empire from three planets close by to over a dozen and a half all over Xxas, Harken, and Leien.  
(5) Choo: the planet where the _Chiooshin_ is held. Known by Tall and Taller and Tallest Irkens as Marketia. Choo is the planet's original name.  
(6) eresh: derogatory Irken name for a female. Literally means "child bearer" and to bear children is treachery to the Irken Empire (considering that smeets are synthesised and decanted in a smeetery). Therefore child bearers are considered only a half step better than Defective.  
(7) Terean: Irken word that literally means "Soldier" but I often used as a slur against military persons. It s synonymous with "Military boot-licking cur" among other, less polite things.  
(8) halkeen: a Universal month. Exactly thirty Cycles long every time.  
(9) wei'kap: Irken word for "slave" literally mean "one who is in service for" and generally has a job title attached to it. It is the same in Common and is one of the few Irken word used by other species.  
(10) Irk: the main god of the Irken race. Irk bestows power and is said to be over twenty feet tall. This is why height equals power in the Empire; the taller you are, the closer you are to Irk.  
(11) Cixxzas: Vortian for "Our Hope"  
(12) kommerin: a bland, rice-like vegetable grown on the moons of Miereim. It is a staple in any Vortian's diet but they don't particularly enjoy it in excess. Especially if you have nothing to spice it up with.  
(13) How fares the kommerin on your side of the screen?: a classic Vortian greeting. It is pretty much a "How are you?" or "What's up?" but more formal. The original has no "of the screen" attached but Lard Nar adapted the phrase to fit his needs.  
(14) mritz: a vegetable dish that looks a lot like salad but more flavourful.


	3. Chapter 3

(A/N: Hey y'all! I finally got the creative juices flowing and got this baby out on my iPod via an app call DocsToGo (Professional). It allows you to create MS Word, PowerPoint, and Excel documents on your iPod/Phone/Pad, then email them to yourself. But enough of the shameless plug for iTunes, I have something important to tell you all: I have incorporated Christanity into this fic, not only through the humans, but through other species as well! I am so happy about this I just want to cry! IZ and religion mixing has only been seen three times: once in a story by ngrey651, and twice in two of HeCallsMeHisChild's fics, Ayam and the sequel whose...name...escapes me...now...Well enough of the senseless 'it's twelve midnight' babbling, enjoy Resist chapter three!)

Galactic Common and PAK-translated speech is like "this"

Irken is like "**this**"

English is like "this"

Any foreign words I feel like leaving in are like "_this_"

(line break)

Gaz shifted slightly in her bunk, trying not to put any pressure on the brand. All around her were the whimpering cries of the other humans, all in different languages, all saying the same thing; What will happen to us now?

"Gaz?" The sad voice of Gretchen reached her ears and she flinched and rolled over to meet the eyes of the terrified girl.

"What is it?"

The furious tone in her voice didn't deter the terrified girl from continuing her question. "Will we be okay?" Gaz didn't have an answer for that. "I mean, Dib knew about these things before they invaded and he stopped the invasion millions of times. Shouldn't he be on his way to help us right now?"

"Yeah!" Keef interjected from the bunk across from her, "Dib will save us!"

Suddenly the whole quarter of the slave holding area of the _Raunski _that was composed of people from Gaz's hometown came alive with chatter, all of it about Dib.

"He'll make sure we're okay!"

"Dib will rescue us and we'll have a chance to get back at those blasted aliens!"

"We could join a resistance of a sorts, like that...Resisty the Irken guards keep talking about!"

"I could go home again!"

There was a long silence after the last exclamation pierced the air and suddenly everyone stopped laughing and sharing thoughts on what they would do to their Irken captors. Then Lizardboy spoke up, "There is no home to go to anymore. It was destroyed, remember the bio-sweep?" In the back one of the younger children began to cry. "Well it's true!" Lizardboy exclaimed, "I mean, just listen to how the Irkens refer to Earth. It's called Snackfoodgrowia, the snack-food ingredient-growing planet. They razed the city we lived in to the ground! They only left the agricultural parts of Earth intact, especially the ones that produced wheat, potatoes, caco beans, sugar, and vanilla. They make the adults that are left down there ship the ingredients to Foodcourtia and Kitchenia, the food court planet and kitchen planet respectively. After that it's all work and no play for the human race. And what's even worse is that their children, US, are being shipped off to a marketing planet to be sold as slaves! What kind of home would we have left to go to, even IF Dib DID come and free us? A broken planet full of cash crops for the tall and privileged Irken slavemasters! What kind of place is that to raise the children? Because of these events, WE aren't children anymore! We were forced to grow up and accept the fact that the universe isn't a pretty place, that the world isn't composed of lollipops and rainbows, that not everyone is happy! Do we want that for the younger ones, the REAL children? But no, we're not even going to attempt to keep the childrens chastity intact. Instead we're going to bow our heads and let the Irken 'Master' rule us with fear. We're going to let those marked on the stomach give themselves to the highest bidder because they are a _wei'kap sen_(1), even if they are too young to even know what sex is! Who are we to be afraid when the ones who should tremble in fear are the ones marked to pleasure an Irken until they die or cannot perform? Who are we to-"

He was cut off sharply by a loud "ENOUGH!" shouted in choppy English mixed with a Russian accent. The residents of Gaz's hometown turned to face a small boy, marked as a _wei'kap sen_ by a brand on his stomach, with an infuriated look on his face. He had jumped down from his top bunk to the spot where the Lardnar usually preached the praises of the Irken Empire and the folly of the _skaatel _races and was literally shaking with anger. "Who you to tell us we be doomed? Who you to tell _babushkas _they are lost childhood? What right are you given to say this things?"

"Yes!" a small Asian child marked as a _wei'kap tchaal(_2) by a brand on his wrist chorused from a middle bunk across the room from the Russian."We are who we wish to be! If we wish to be slaves than we are slaves! However, of we do not succumb to the mindset of slavery then we will never be true slaves!" That was followed by a loud chorus of exclamations, most of them translating as "YEAH!"

Then Gaz spoke up, "Both of you are right. There's no guarantee that Dib is even alive, let alone that he will come and save us." Groans mixed with crys of "Hey!" answered her (true) statement.

"But!" she continued, projecting so that everyone could hear her, "There is hope! If we remember who we are, not just the slaves - the _wei'kap _of the Irken machine but the humans, the brave people that refused to cave in to the Irkens' demands than we can thrive as a people. If you are strong enough to resist and take the punishment, resist! If you are not then bow your head and pray for release. All we have to do is believe in ourselves and we will survive!" A chorus of agreements answered her speech and soon the slave holding bay filled with happy chatter. Done speaking, Gaz rolled over and sighed.

"What's up with you?" Gaz hissed and rolled over to face Gretchen who was looking at her with a worried expression.

"What makes you think anything is wrong with me?"

"You aren't exactly the one for pep talks and yet you just gave one. Why is that?"

Gaz scowled at the young girl and rolled over, mumbling under her breath as she did so. "Hmmphflargle mmfragr ssmmss..."

"What?" Gretchen had climbed down from her bunk and was poking Gaz vehemently.

_I said: "they're taking us to the Massive first". I didn't want to scare the rest of them by adding to the fact that we're beyond doomed._ Gaz scowled and looked down even though Gretchen couldn't see her do so.

"Why aren't you telling me?" Gretchen inquired, "Why? Tell me!" She was in tears and hysterical—the girl was emotionally as well as physically weak to begin with and the harsh conditions on the _Raunski _weren't helping.

"Just shut up Gretchen. Shut up and go to sleep like everyone else should!" _Like I can't because I'm too scared to sleep. _Gaz growled at the girl and closed her eyes, trying to block out the sight and sound and smell of tens of thousands of human children being shipped to die in slavery's harsh grip. _Now I lay me down to sleep, I pray the Lord my soul to keep._ _And if I die before I wake, I pray the Lord my soul to take._

(line break)

_I've never really been a religious type but it may be the time to convert,_ Dib thought as he stared at the malnourished and rather irritable Irken that was boarding the _Cixxzas_. _Anyways_, he continued in his head, _one specific religion was Gaz's territory._ He winced at the thought but kept an eye on Zim, unsure of whether or not to let his guard down long enough to ask what happened to him.

"I' tha' th' Zim yew were talkin' abou'? Th' comple' nutter?" Chen was staring at the other Vortians as they boarded, unsure of whether or not to go over and say hello since he was supposed to be bad luck.

"I think so...but he didn't answer to 'Zim' when I called out his name. I wonder what's up?" Dib focused only on Zim and his escort, Tri lan Sette. "Could it have something to do with Tri lan Sette?"

"Ye'r doin' i' again." Chen commented. Dib flushed a scarlet colour and looked down. "Loo'...maybe thi' in't yer Zim. Maybe thi' i' some other Irken."

Dib shook his head, "No. This IS Zim and I want to know why he doesn't know that I'm Dib, THE Dib, Dib-stink, earthworm-filth, Zim's pathetic hyuuman adversary." He sighed and then charged forward to confront Zim and Tri lan Sette.

The Vortian smiled when he saw the human, "Ah, you must be the Dib Lard Nar was speaking about. Pleased to make your aquantince."

Dib started and looked down, "Um...p-pleased to make your aquantince as well _Vier _Sette(3)...I have heard good things about you from Lard Nar also..." As they introduced themselves, Zim raised his head and focused dull ocular implants on the human. They brightened with recognition and suddenly the Irken was shrieking and clamouring away from Dib, yammering in broken Irken.

"That is the filth! He...Vershaz(4)...forever enemies! Then...Earth...and Vershaz killed...How did you escape!" Then the crazed Irken repeated himself, slipping back into PAK-translated speech, "You! How did you escape? Vershaz swore you had died during the bio-sweep!"

Dib stared at "Vershaz" with a look of confusion on his face. "Wh-who did you say you were?"

"Vershaz! Vershaz is Vershaz! There is only one Vershaz and this is he!" the Irken was almost slavering at the mouth while he ranted.

Discombobulated was one way to describe how Dib was feeling at the moment. Discombobulated and downright weirded out. "Bu-Isn't your name Zim? Where did 'Vershaz' come from?"

Vershaz/Zim raised one spiny antenna and growled a rough A-sharp of frustration. Then he sneered, lip curled and razor-sharp, zipper-like teeth ares in a grimace, "Zim? Zim is a defect; Zim is not here. Vershaz is here and there is only one Vershaz! Who is this Zim that you speak of? I know no Zim!"

"But you...And...God I'm confused." For an agnostic, Dib sure did invoke the name of one god quite often.

"Do not be." Tri lan Sette smiled gently and bowed slightly, his thin, bent horns—so different from Lard Nar's longer, curved ones—twitching slightly. "He is a smidgen wrong in the head. It has to do with a few crossed wires in his PAK and a missing part or three." He smiled a wan smile that didn't quite reach his eyes and continued in his almost perfect Common, "To be totally honest, I am so unsure of whether or not he can be fixed or if the damage is so irreversable that it even affected his brain-meats. If Irkens could live without their PAKs then I would gladly remove this PAK and replace it with a more stable and newer, Control Brain-free version. Alas, the only Irken I know that could survive without a PAK is long gone, flown away to some far planet in the reaches of the Glæøpünk quadrant. I gave him a replacement PAK to allow him to fit in but I am unsure of where he truly is."

"_Vier _Sette-"

"Please, address me as Sette. Or Seven. Or even Sev. Whatever suits your needs." Tri lan Sette cut Dib off in mid-question and laughed, a soft, almost braying sound.

"What does Lard Nar call you?" Dib inquired.

[Oi! Sev! Bring the nutter with you! Meeting time in the 'ull of the 'ead of the ship!] Lard Nar shouted across via SX*com, making Dib's ears ring and Vershaz/Zim's antennae to flatten in hurt.

"Um...Is he...ALWAYS like this?" Tri lan Sette asked, digging a clawed finger in his ear-holes, "I cannot remember too much of how he was like since I was a head scientist and he was a second scientist of the third degree."

"More or less...," Dib replied, shrugging slightly, internally laughing at the thought of the bumbling Lard Nar he had come to know being a scientist, "so I'm going to call you Sev then."

"Of course. This would be fine." Sev grinned and then looked back at Vershaz/Zim and laughed, "Come along little one. We have been summoned to the hull of the ship. Shall we be accompanied by the intreguing Dib and his friend whose name we have yet to hear?"

Chen blinked in surprise and coughed quietly, "M-m-me _Vier _Se'?" When the older Vortian nodded Chen blushed and looked away, "Chen, _Vier _Se'."

"First off: I have no need for such formalities as _'Vier' _and _'Sxxxxaŵl_(5)' or even just 'Scientist', so call me Seven or Sev (since you seem to have a heavy Common accent). And second: is 'Chen' short for anything? Chendrekkan perhaps?"

Chen's eyes teared up and he began to sniffle, "Plea'...plea' dun't judge me based offa' m'name...plea'..." He removed his hat and was using it and the back of his sleeve to wipe off the snot and tears from his fur, exposing his three horns.

"Well goodness! You ceartainly are an 'unlucky' fellow indeed, are you not? But why would you try to cover up what makes you unique?" For a moment Chen looked like he was going to start bawling at any minute, then he sniffled.

"Well...others dun't thin' li' yew do. They judge me 'cause o' m' horns and then they never ge' ta' know me." He slipped his hat back on his head and smiled, "Bu' thanks for no' judgin' me...Sev."

"No problem." Sev grinned and took Vershaz/Zim by the hand and took him to the hull of the head of the Cixxzas. Dib and Chen followed, laughing about things long past and drying tears from their eyes.

(linebreak)

In a spaceship flying across the border between two of the Great Seas there was an Irken who stared at the passing stars with a determined clarity in his eyes. He muttered to himself in a strange language, one almost never used anymore on the planet he used to call home. "_Ubi est? Lorem ipsum massa...donec quomodo eum molestus! Atqui inanem inside sentio sine ipso. Habeo invinire primum oportet invinire sordes. Inveniam auxiliabitur ei. Vult intelligere. Etiam eget magna mi, intelliget._(6)" Then the Irken steeled his gaze and grinned toothily, "**Yes...Vershaz will find him and then all will be better. All will be better for Vershaz**..."

(linebreak)

Translation Notes:

(1) wei'kap sen: Irken mixed with Common. Literally "one who is in service for pleasure". A sex slave.

(2) wei'kap tchaal: Irken mixed with Common. Literally "one who is in service for science". A slave with the capacity to be a useful mind for the creation of the Empire's weapons or ships.

(3) Vier Sette: Common. Literally means "Mr. Sette". Vier is the common equivalent of "Mr" just as Veit is "Miss" and Sveit is "Mrs". Dib, at the moment, is so caught off guard by the welcome and the fact that Tri lan Sette knows his name that he is extremely polite.

(4) Vershaz: Irken derogatory term. Literally means "One who is minuscule". Since height is important to Irken society, this is one of the worst insult you can use.

(5) Sxxxxaŵl: Vortian for 'Captain'. It literally means 'one who brings us to bed safely' and can even be interpreted as 'deliverer' or 'guide' or even 'One-Who-Created-All' which is the Vortian god. Much like the Christian God, the One-Who-Created-All brought forth the galaxies from nothingness and created Vortians in His image. He also sent His Kid (a part of him) down to take all of the Vortians' judgement for their transgressions unto Himself in their stead so that, when they died, their souls could raise unto One-Who-Created-All's paradise, the Green Pasture, so long as they had faith that the Shepherd (One-Who-Created-All's Kid) took away their transgressions. Sxxxxaŵl can also be interpreted as 'Shepherd'.

(6) Ubi est? Lorem ipsum massa...donec quomodo eum molestus! Atqui inanem inside sentio sine ipso. Habeo invinire primum oportet invinire sordes. Inveniam auxiliabitur ei. Vult intelligere. Etiam eget magna mi, intelliget.: Latin. Means (roughly translated): Where is he? I miss him...why do I miss him, he is annoying! And yet I feel so empty inside without him. I have to find him but first I must find the filth. He will help me find him. He will understand. Yes, he will understand my mighty need.


End file.
